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What to make of Sharapova's defeatby Caroline Cheese - BBC Sport (U1647853) 27 June 2008   With the shock retirement of world number one Justine Henin still fresh in the memory, the WTA had further cause for reflection after Maria Sharapova's limp exit at Wimbledon on Thursday. I think the shoulder injury has got into her head and the lack of confidence in her serve creeps into the rest of her gameTracy Austin "Now I have more time off," she said, drily. "Better be careful what I wish for." Tracy Austin believes the shoulder injury which troubled Sharapova throughout most of last season is a major factor in her fluctuating form. "She hasn't even made the quarter-finals in four of the last five Grand Slams," the American told BBC Sport. "I think the shoulder injury has got into her head and the lack of confidence in her serve creeps into the rest of her game. "She's not the athlete Venus and Serena are. She needs her big serve, she counts on it to set up the point and when she doesn't have it, she's in trouble." Sharapova has also referred to a problem with her immune system, which leaves her more susceptible to illness, and her comments following Henin's retirement were perhaps revealing. "If I was 25 and I'd won so many Grand Slams, I'd quit too. She's an inspiration. There's so many things to life and I'm sure she wants to explore them. I definitely don't blame her for retiring." At 21 and with three Grand Slam titles, Sharapova is surely not yet on the point of following Henin into early retirement, but with his most bankable star struggling with the stresses and strains of the game, WTA chief Larry Scott should be more motivated than ever to carry out his pledge to overhaul the schedule. "I do continue to worry about the health and wellbeing of the players," Scott said ahead of Wimbledon. "A person like Justine Henin retires at 25 and almost every one of our players suffers with an injury of some kind. It's something not in your direct control, but it's one of the reasons I've been so laser-focused on the need to change the calendar and reduce the commitment of players." Venus and Serena Williams have long been criticised for their take-it-or-leave-it attitude to the game, but they are still out there, as Grand Slam contenders, at 28 and 26 respectively. Maybe they've got a point. Latest 10 commentsRead members' comments or add your own
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speople (U9509360) posted Jun 28, 2008 I believe that her game problems at the moment are purely down to a lack of practice and/or match fitness.
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Chakvetadzex (U11146715) posted Jun 29, 2008 I was so confused watching this match. I personally feel that Alla does not deserve as much praise as shes getting, because if you watched the match you'll agree that was not Maria, there was no fighting spirit, determination, nothing, her performance was almost mechanical and she just wanted off the court as soon as possible. Maria always gets compared to Anna Kournikova but maintains tennis is the most important thing in her life, shes too distracted and goes onto court 2nd round of a slam expecting to comfortably win a match, she needs to wake and decide whether or not she wants tennis or modeling. Shes is 100% better than whats shes giving and its infuriating.
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tikkeros (U1690311) posted Jun 29, 2008 Sharapova wants to get off the catwalk and on to the practice court otherwise she'll just be another Kournikova.
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gbengakoya (U8589574) posted Jun 29, 2008 Guys, please let the young girl be!!! i think it's very unfair to compare Masha with Kournikova. A player who won more grand slam titles than the obviously more talented Clijsters & Mauresmo, i think it's unfair to criticize her so harshly.
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getinthebath (U9563463) posted Jun 30, 2008 'Sharapova wants to get off the catwalk and on to the practice court otherwise she'll just be another Kournikova.'
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Vincent-Hitman (U11942159) posted Jun 30, 2008 For me it's simple, she had a bad day vs. an inspired opponent. Everyone knows how strong Women's tennis is now, it's like any top player can lose if they can't play at a high level. Look at what a hard time Jankovic had on Saturday, without the knee problem.
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roter14 (U3913781) posted Jun 30, 2008 whatever! sharapova has not even played that much this year! the only player that can say that being tired was a problem is djokovic or nadal because they played almost every week during the clay season. If sharapova stopped shrieking it might save her some energy and earn her nore fans!
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Jayslaw (U8431847) posted Jun 30, 2008 Err who really cares, these guys moan about everything, (except the huge amounts of money they have earned form a....SPORT !
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grandAlexGordon (U12756037) posted Jul 25, 2008 All Sharapova's problems started with her strange and weird defeat in the Australian Open at the hands of Serena Williams. The match was so bizarre that one strongly suspected foul play, and since then, Maria has not been her usual self because her confidence was dented badly. If a player can only annhiliate one other player who in turn is only ever annhilated by that one player then is that not highly suspicious? Sharapova was never forgiven for her humiliation of Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2004.
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